Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Transfers

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government how many offenders were transferred from prisons in (1) England, and (2) Wales, to prisons in Northern Ireland in (a) 2021, and (b) 2022.

Lord Bellamy: There were no transfers from prisons in England or Wales to Northern Ireland in 2021. In 2022, three prisoners were transferred from prisons in England and four from prisons in Wales.

Prisons: Video Conferencing

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, ofprisons in England and Wales currently provide secure video calls for prisoners.

Lord Bellamy: All prisons (100%) across England and Wales have the capability to offer secure video calls with approved family members and friends, responding to demand from prisoners.

Cabinet Office

Universities

Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government whenthe Office for National Statistics will conclude its review of the classification of universities in the National Accounts, first announced in January 2017.

Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the classification review of universities announced by the Office for National Statistics in January 2017, what assessment they have made of the (1) fiscal, and (2) other, consequences of universities being reclassified as public bodies as a result of that review.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Office for National Statistics is not responsible for making an assessment of the non-statistical impacts of classification decisions. Therefore, no such assessment has been made of other consequences. The Lord Stevens of BirminghamHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 19 January 2024 Dear Lord Stevens of Birmingham, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will conclude its review of the classification of universities in the National Accounts, first announced in January 2017 (HL1604). And further to the classification review of universities announced by the ONS in January 2017, what assessment we have made of the (1) fiscal, and (2) other, consequences of universities being reclassified as public bodies as a result of that review (HL1606). The ONS regularly reviews legislation and guidance relating to a number of institutions, including universities, to determine whether any changes would have a potential impact on their sector classification. As such, the classification review of universities in the UK, first announced on 31 January 2017 [1] will consider whether the substantial rise in tuition fees from 2012, and other changes in funding arrangements affect the classification of universities. A further statement on the classification review of universities in the UK was released on 5 April 2018 [2]. This statement explained that the classification review had been paused because of the announcement of the review of post-18 education and funding, which raised the possibility that the cap for tuition fees may be altered. As this could affect the classification status of individual universities, the statement confirmed the classification review would recommence when there is more certainty in this area. It was necessary to further postpone the classification review of universities in the UK due to new higher priority classification cases, such as support schemes initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently, the energy support schemes introduced in 2022 and 2023. At present, the ONS plans to begin the classification review of universities in the UK from Quarter 2 (April – June) 2024. However, classification priorities can change quickly, and the expected dates of completion are only indicative. Our forward work plan 3 is updated each month to reflect changes in priorities. Table 1 shows the expected timetable for the classification review. Table 1: Expected timetable for the classification review of universities [3]Name of caseExpected date of completionUniversities (Scotland)Quarter 2 (Apr to Jun) 2024Universities (Northern Ireland)Quarter 3 (Jul to Sep) 2024Universities (Wales)Quarter 3 (Jul to Sep) 2024Universities (England)Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2025Source: Forward Work Plan December 2023 (19 December 2023) The ONS has not yet made an assessment of the fiscal consequences of universities being reclassified as public bodies. Within our forward work plan, for each of the four cases involved, we have provided an indication that the impact on fiscal aggregates could be small (less than £100 million change). The ONS is not responsible for making an assessment of the non-statistical impacts of classification decisions. Therefore, no such assessment has been made of other consequences. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond [1] Classification review of universities in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)[2] Further statement on the classification review of universities in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)[3] Economic statistics sector classification – Forward Work Plan dataset (XLSX, 128KB)UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 112.1KB)

Telegraph Media Group: RedBird Capital Partners

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to investigate the proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI under the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government monitors the market at all times to identify acquisitions of potential national security interest. We do not routinely comment on individual transactions. As an open economy, the government welcomes foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. However, the government will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security where we identify concerns.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Norway: Deep Sea Mining

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent decision by Norway to allow deep seabed mining, what position they will take on the issue at the 29th Session of the International Seabed Authority.

Lord Benyon: The UK government notes the Norwegian government's decision of 10 January 2024 to consider awarding licences for deep sea mining exploration and potentially in future extraction on its continental shelf. This area is within Norway's jurisdiction and is not regulated by the International Seabed Authority.At the 29th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) the UK will be maintaining its support for a moratorium (announced on 30th October 2023) on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the ISA. We recognise the growing pressure to extract deep-sea resources and are concerned about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. The UK will not sponsor or support the issuing of any such exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the ISA unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Mining

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo about strengthening and enforcing national laws regarding mining and evictions in line with international human rights standards.

Lord Benyon: Illicit mining in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains a concern. We regularly raise the challenges within the mining sector both with the DRC government and through multilateral fora such as the Human Rights Council. The UK also supports initiatives including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) which aims to improve transparency and governance across the mining sector.

South Africa: Development Aid

Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government how much development assistance they have provided to South Africa over the past 10 years.

Lord Benyon: The UK's development assistance to South Africa promotes a strategic partnership with a focus on shared priorities including economic development, climate change, gender equality and strengthening health systems. South Africa still faces major development challenges - particularly around poverty, inequality and unemployment - and remains eligible to receive donor assistance. Since 2014 the UK has provided South Africa with £267,928,979 in development assistance as our relationship has evolved from one of aid to one of mutual co-operation and strategic partnerships.

Xinjiang: Human Rights

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with counterparts in other governments about taking action to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the treatment of Uighurs and other Turkic people in Xinjiang.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to lead international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations. In March 2021, we imposed sanctions on four individuals and one entity for their involvement in the egregious violations taking place in Xinjiang, acting with 29 other countries. Sanctions are just one tool at our disposal. At the UN, we were the first country to lead a joint statement on human rights violations in Xinjiang in 2019 and last year we led another joint statement, which had a record number of signatories. We have taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains, for example, guidance to UK businesses and enhanced export controls. Bilaterally, we continue to raise China's human rights violations with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels - the Foreign Secretary raised the situation in Xinjiang during his first call with China's Foreign Minister in December last year.

China: Taiwan

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of tension between the governments of Taiwan and China following the presidential elections that took place in Taiwan on 13 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The elections that took place on 13 January are testament to Taiwan's vibrant democracy. The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We have restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside our G7 partners.

Guatemala: Elections

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the findings of theEuropean Union Election Observation Mission to Guatemala 2023 with regard to the conduct of the general election on 25 June 2023 and presidential run-off on 20 August 2023, and (2) the political and security situation in Guatemala, following efforts to discredit the election of PresidentBernardo Arévalo, who took office on 14 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK welcomes the inauguration of Guatemalan President Arévalo. It is positive that the choice of the people of Guatemala has been respected. The Rt Hon. Lord Benyon attended the inauguration on 14 January. Minister Rutley and His Majesty the King have both issued statements of support for the President confirming that we will stand with those seeking to safeguard democracy and rule of law.The British Embassy in Guatemala City continues to monitor the political and security situation closely. The UK shares concerns with the EU regarding the conduct of the electoral process prior to election day but agrees with the EU and OAS statements that there were no elements within the voting or counting processes which cast doubt on the electoral results presented by the Guatemalan Electoral Tribunal.

Cyprus: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany British expats currently reside in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; and by how many this number has increased since 2004.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. The UK recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority of Cyprus. Approximately 30,000 British Nationals reside in Cyprus, of which we estimate that 10,000-15,000 are based in the north of the island. We do not monitor year on year changes in the number of British Nationals residing in the north of Cyprus.

Jimmy Lai

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to those UK citizens names as co-conspirators in the trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Minister for the Indo-Pacific said on 23 January, it is unacceptable that British nationals, including the former Consul-General, have been named by the prosecution in Jimmy Lai's national security trial in Hong Kong. We have made clear our concerns to the Chinese authorities. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific has met with several of the named individuals, who bravely speak out on human rights concerns in Hong Kong and China, despite threats to themselves. We will not tolerate any attempts to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK. The UK has no active extradition agreement with Hong Kong or China.

Nagorno Karabakh: Cultural Heritage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan in this regard.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. The British Embassy in Baku has raised this with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.

Israel: Hezbollah

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking, together with international partners, to prevent an expansion of hostilities between the government of Israel and Hezbollah, following recent airstrikes in Lebanonwhichkilled Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chair of Hamas’s political bureau, andthe Hezbollah senior commander, Wissam al-Tawil.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain in close contact with key international and regional partners, including to urge all sides to avoid further escalation in Lebanon; the situation is fragile and an escalation in violence, including on Lebanon's southern boundary with Israel, is not in anyone's interests. The UK is committed to its longstanding support to the Lebanese Armed Forces which helps maintain Lebanon's security.

Iraq: USA

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Iraq following the US military strike in Baghdad on 4 January, which the Pentagon reported killeda senior commander of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba; and what discussions they have had with the governments of Iraq and the US following the denunciation of the strike by the Iraqi government.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continually monitor the security situation in Iraq, working closely with our fellow members of the Global Coalition and the Government of Iraq. The US drone strike in Baghdad on January 4 which killed Abu Taqwa, a leader of the Iran Aligned Militia Group Harakat al-Nujaba, was announced as an act of self-defence by the US. The ongoing safety and protection of Coalition Forces members in Iraq remains paramount. The UK highlights the Government of Iraq's commitment to protect these forces. Lord Ahmad spoke with Minister Hussein on 4 January, and we frequently engage at official level.

Hamas: Hostage Taking

Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning securing access to Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since October 7, the UK government has been working with relevant partners across the region, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to help secure the release of hostages and better understand their status, including working to gain information on proof of life and access to medical professionals. As the Foreign Secretary has said, we need a humanitarian pause now to allow for the release of hostages.

Gaza: Ceasefires

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to secure a ceasefire, and (2) to press for an investigation by the International Criminal Court of violations of international humanitarian law, in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK wants to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, and as a vital first step towards building a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. But to achieve that:Hamas must agree to the release of all hostages.Hamas must no longer be in charge of Gaza - and the threat from Hamas terror and rocket attacks must end.An agreement must be in place for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza in order to provide governance, services and security.Regarding the involvement of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the UK is a strong supporter of ICC and we respect its independence.

Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Appointments

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government what public appointments are made directly by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Lord Markham: The statutory basis for public appointments is set out in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2023, which lists public appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and includes those identified as being made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, listed as entries under the Department of Health and Social Care. A copy of the document is attached.When the order is next updated by Cabinet Office, it will also include public appointments to the board of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, which are made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is also responsible for making the following public appointments, which are not regulated by the Commissioner:- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, chair and non-executive members;- UK Health Security Agency, chair and non-executive members; and- NHS Pensions Board, chair only.Public Appointments Order in Council (pdf, 241.0KB)

Treasury

Housing: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of recent increases in average house prices.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The most comprehensive measure of average house prices in the UK is published by the Office for National Statistics. The latest release is for November 2023, when the average house price in the UK was assessed to be £285,000. That leaves average UK house prices 24% higher than their average level in 2019. The government continues to monitor developments in the housing market closely and consider the implications for its policies.

London Stock Exchange: Brexit

Baroness Quin: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to undertake a study of the impacts to date of Brexit on the London Stock Exchange.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government does not intend to review the impacts of Brexit on the London Stock Exchange. The UK is Europe’s leading hub for investment, and London continues to be the only European hub in the top ten of the Global Financial Centres Index. The government is committed to building on these strong foundations to make the UK the global capital for capital. Leaving the EU provides the freedom for the UK to tailor financial services regulation to UK markets, including through the government’s Smarter Regulatory Framework programme. Under the programme, assimilated law is being replaced by a regulatory framework tailored to the UK that will benefit businesses and consumers alike. The government is taking forward an ambitious programme of reform to improve the competitiveness of UK markets. This includes overhauling the UK’s Prospectus Regime to create a simpler and more effective regime than its EU predecessor, delivering on a key recommendation of Lord Hill’s Listing Review. Legislation to deliver this reform was laid on 27 November 2023.

Financial Services

Lord McNicol of West Kilbride: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider that theFinancial Ombudsman Service and Financial Services Compensation Scheme protections enacted under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, whichunderpin retail investor confidence in the UK financial industry, remain "an expression of UK national policy".

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government believes that it is important that consumers of financial services have appropriate routes to seek redress without having to go through the court system. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 established both the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for this purpose. The FOS provides consumers and small businesses with a free, independent service that enables the proportionate, prompt and informal resolution of disputes with financial services firms. It is designed as an alternative to resolution of cases through the courts, which can be expensive for both firms and consumers and delay redress. The courts also continue to play an important role alongside the FOS in ensuring consumers have access to redress and in some cases may be a more appropriate route to ensuring effective resolution of disputes. The FSCS is the UK’s compensation scheme of last resort and pays compensation to consumers when authorised financial services firms fail. However, the FSCS does not cover losses that arise purely from investment performance. The UK does not operate a zero-failure regime in financial services and individuals have responsibility for choosing investments that are suitable for their risk profile.

Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Line: Old Oak Common Station

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 15 December 2023 (HL801), what are the sources of the “in vehicle” and “walk” times quoted; what is their assessment of the breakdown of times by vehicle and walking between Old Oak Common and Euston on HS2, and between Euston and Bond Street on the Underground; and whether they are able to model the journey times from Old Oak Common to Tottenham Court Road.

Lord Davies of Gower: The estimated ‘in vehicle’ and ‘walk’ times quoted are outputs from the Station Choice Model which forms part of the Planet Framework Model used to assess the impacts of HS2.The breakdown of in-vehicle time for passengers travelling to Bond Street via HS2 to Euston is as follows: 6 minutes between Old Oak Common and Euston on HS2 and 6.6 minutes on the London Underground. It is not possible to further breakdown the walk time in the journey without commissioning further work.While journey times to Tottenham Court Road could be modelled, the Department does not currently hold estimates of these journey times developed on a consistent basis and would need to commission these separately.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what progressthey have made in identifying a UK satellite-based augmentation system to replace the functionality of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service; and whether the analysis of the potential benefits of such a system, commissioned from PA Consulting over a year ago, has been completed and, if so, whetherthey will place a copy of that work in the Library of the House.

Lord Davies of Gower: On 18 October 2023 the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) published a Government Policy Framework for Greater Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Resilience. The Framework includes a commitment to develop a proposal for a UK Precise Point Positioning Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) to replace the UK’s use of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, monitor Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and enable GNSS-dependent high accuracy positioning for autonomous and precision uses. The work to develop this proposal is currently under way. The specific analysis delivered by PA Consulting referred to in the question is an interim and partial piece of research, contributing as one input to policy development work, which is being taken forward on a cross-Government basis, coordinated by DSIT. It will be superseded by more complete analysis of the business case for Government action in this space and therefore the report will not be placed in the Library of the House.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in achieving their target for motorway stations to havesix rapid or ultra-rapid chargers by the end of 2023; and when they expect this to be achieved.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department has recently collected updated chargepoint numbers for the end of 2023 from motorway service area operators (MSAOs). There are now 800 open-access (can be used with any electric vehicle) rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid (150Kw+) chargepoints at motorway service areas (MSAs) in England.More than 565 chargepoints are ultra-rapid. This is a substantial increase of over 300 extra ultra-rapid chargers at MSAs in the last year.56 of the 114 MSA sites now have at least six ultra-rapid open access chargepoints. Government is working closely with the distribution network operators, MSAOs, chargepoint operators and other key stakeholders in industry on wider challenges to chargepoint rollout and overcoming barriers at those sites that still need to reach their baseline provision. One of the challenges faced by some is the cost of the grid upgrades. To address this, the £70m Rapid Charging Fund pilot, launched in December 2023, will help support MSA sites with the cost of the grid connections where it is currently not commercially viable, investing alongside the private sector.

Stansted Airport: Air Routes

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Manchester Airports Group regarding its ambition to develop new long-haul airline routes from Stansted airport as a means of driving growth in the region.

Lord Davies of Gower: Ministers and officials regularly meet with Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to discuss a range of issues. Where opportunities for new commercial flights exist, airports and other stakeholders can work together to establish the case for commercial flights and work with airline partners to create new connections for their communities.

Roads: Litter

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor and ensure that the National Highways meets its legal duty to ensure its land is kept clear of litter under sections 89(1) and (2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Lord Davies of Gower: National Highways is monitored against a litter performance indicator as part of the Road Investment Strategy (RIS2). This requires them to report on the percentage of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) where litter is graded at B or above under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Litter Code of Practice. National Highways performance on this metric is reported to the Office for Road and Rail and published annually. National Highways consider litter to be a very serious problem. It is harmful to the environment, damaging to their reputation, and upsets their customers. It also creates a risk to the substantial number of people who collect it, and uses resources that could instead be better used to improve the road network.

High Speed 2 Line: Old Oak Common Station

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower of 22 November (HL338), what assessment they have made of expected journey times between Old Oak Common and Bond Street via (1) the planned HS2 station at Euston and the Northern Line, and (2) the Elizabeth Line broken down into (a) in-vehicle time, (b) wait time, and (c) walking time.

Lord Davies of Gower: The breakdown of expected journey times between Old Oak Common and Bond Street via (1) the planned HS2 station at Euston and the Northern Line, and (2) the Elizabeth Line is shown in the table below. All times are shown in minutes.Destination: Bond StreetIn vehicle timeWalk timeWait timeTotalVia HS2 to Euston/ London Underground 12.616.71.3 30.6 Via Old Oak Common/Elizabeth Line9.813.81.224.8

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming: Closures

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government how many adult gaming centres have ceased trading during the past 12 months.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Commission’s Industry Statistics do not capture whether specific premises have closed during the reporting period; rather, they give an overview of all active gambling premises in Great Britain. These figures show that the number of adult gaming centres has increased between 2021/22 and 2022/23.

Lighting: Natural Gas

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Westminster Council over providing listed status for any gas lamps that are currently not listed.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Historic England, the Government’s statutory advisor on heritage, is in discussions with Westminster City Council about this matter and is currently undertaking a project assessing Westminster’s unlisted gas-lit lamp-posts. These listing applications will be carefully considered by the Secretary of State, or me on her behalf.

Gambling: Retail Trade

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government what training is provided to retailers regarding the gambling risks associated with the National Lottery and other lottery products.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The 2018 Health Survey for England showed that lotteries were associated with the lowest rates of problem gambling of all gambling products considered, and the National Lottery operator is mandated under its licence to have player protection strategies.The operator’s training programme, ‘Being a Responsible Retailer’, supports National Lottery retailers on risks related to National Lottery products and focuses on supporting healthy playing and preventing underage playing. This consists of online and face-to-face training, healthy playing knowledge checks, and further support where needed. The operator also provides retailers with advice through leaflets and telephone calls to improve awareness and to help the retention of responsible retailing principles. Retailers are also trained in engaging with customers about healthy playing – including direction to GamCare as appropriate – and about signs they should look out for to help identify players who may be at risk.To ensure that retailers are benefiting from and acting on its training, the operator runs a healthy playing ‘mystery shopper’ programme, alongside the ‘Operation 18’ programme to ensure that retailers are correctly asking for proof of age. As a result of these initiatives, 94% of National Lottery retailers visited in 2022/23 successfully passed a healthy playing knowledge check. If a retailer does not pass these visits or checks, it is offered additional training.

Telegraph Media Group: RedBird Capital Partners

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, following the letter from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to RedBird IMI, dated 22 November 2023, to reconsider the decision not to issue aPublic Interest Intervention Notice in respect of Transaction 1 identified in that letter, given subsequent media reports that RedBird IMIwill have control over any potential onward sale of Telegraph Media Group.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the proposed acquisition of Telegraph Media Group (TMG) by RedBird IMI, what steps theywill take to ensure the editorial independence of TMG,given recent reports in the Timesabout editorial interventions in CNN Business Arabic by International Media Investments, the primary investor in RedBird IMI, following its guarantees of editorial freedom.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, what assessment they havemade of the long-term effectiveness of behavioural remedies, such as theindependent editorial trust board for proposed by RedBird IMI in the event of its acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group, and the ongoing ability of regulators and the government to oversee and ensure the effectiveness of those remedies.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had,or plan to have, consultations withindividuals or organisations other than Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to the proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI; and, if so, with which individuals or organisations.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: On 26 January the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued a new Public Interest Intervention Notice in respect of the anticipated acquisition of Telegraph Media Group by RB Investco Ltd.This follows Redbird IMI making changes to the corporate structure of the potential acquiring entities of the Telegraph Media Group. This created a new limited partnership which would hold all shares in RB Investco – the proposed purchaser of Telegraph Media Group. The Secretary of State has come to the conclusion that this corporate restructure creates a new relevant merger situation.The Notice triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the specified media public interest considerations. Ofcom and the CMA have now both launched invitations for public comment, and will report to the Secretary of State on the issues specified in the Notice by 9.00 a.m. on 11 March 2024.The Public Interest Intervention Notice issued on 30 November 2023 in regard to the acquisition of Telegraph Media Group Limited by RedBird IMI Media Joint Venture LLC remains in force. The deadline by when the Secretary of State expects to receive Ofcom and the CMA’s reports in relation to this Notice has also been extended to 9.00 a.m. on 11 March 2024 so as to align with the deadline for the reports she has requested in relation to the new Notice.The Pre-emptive Action Order made on 1 December 2023 remains in force.It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time given this is an ongoing regulatory intervention.

Department for Business and Trade

Sub Post Offices: Prosecutions

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government how many sub-postmasters have been referred for prosecutionfor issues relating to the Horizon software.

Lord Offord of Garvel: 983 Post Office-related convictions have been identified during the relevant period.

Deep Sea Mining: Norway

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the decision by Norway to become the first country in the world to commence commercial deep seabed mining and the impact on the UK.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The UK government notes the Norwegian government’s decision of 9 January 2024 to consider awarding licences for deep sea mining exploration and potentially in future extraction on its continental shelf. This area is within Norway’s jurisdiction and is not regulated by the International Seabed Authority.

Home Office

Offences against Children: Rochdale

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by Malcolm Newsam and Gary RidgewayIndependent assurance review into historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rochdale, published on 15 January, what percentage of those involved in the grooming gangs were Muslim.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The independent review into historic child sexual exploitation in Rochdale identifies widespread organised sexual exploitation of children involving multiple ‘grooming gangs’. It also highlighted that many potential perpetrators were never investigated or identified.The report does not disaggregate known offending by individual ‘grooming gang’ nor by ethnicity or religion. However, there are references throughout the report to perpetrators in these particular cases being predominantly ‘Asian’ or British-Pakistani men.The 2020 Home Office report on Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation sets out the best evidence on ethnicity, age, offender networks, the context in which these crimes are committed and implications for national and local policy. As noted within the report, beyond specific high-profile cases such as in Rochdale or Rotherham, the academic literature highlights significant limitations to what can be said about links between ethnicity and group-based child sexual exploitation.

Bibby Stockholm: Standards

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to (1) improve the mental and physical health of asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge, following the death ofLeonard Farruku on 12 December 2023; and(2) ensure that the process of assessing living conditions on the Bibby Stockholmis sufficiently transparent.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: This tragic incident is subject to an ongoing investigation by the police and Coroner and therefore we cannot comment upon this or other individual cases. It is right that the facts surrounding this are established in the appropriate legal manner. The welfare of asylum seekers is always a priority. The Home Office ensures that accommodation provided is adequate and meets the regulatory standards. We assess individuals' suitability to reside at Portland before moving them on board, and each person's suitability is assessed at regular intervals. If anyone is no longer suitable for any reason, they will be moved to alternative accommodation. Accommodation providers ensure that guidance and training provided to staff regarding the identification and management of vulnerable asylum seekers with specific needs, or at-risk asylum seekers, is kept up to date and aligns with best practice and safeguarding processes. The medical facility on the barge is staffed 5 days a week to provide an onsite primary healthcare service. The medical team has previous experience of working with asylum seekers, and refer anyone they are concerned about to the relevant specialist health providers, and discuss (in line with GDPR requirements), their advice with staff.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Bankruptcy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what financial support they are providing to local councilsat risk of receiving section 114 notices within the next five years.

Baroness Penn: The Government monitors the financial health of local authorities on a regular basis using a wide range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement with councils.Taking into account new funding announced on 24 January, on top of what was announced at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in December, local government in England will see an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion next year, or 7.5% in cash terms, an above-inflation increase, rising from £60.2 billion in 2023-24 to up to £64.7 billion in 2024-25.Individual councils are responsible for managing their budgets, and any decision to issue a Section 114 notice is made locally. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.

Allotments: Food

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to increase the amount of land made available for food allotments in England.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government recognises how important allotments and other open spaces are for local people and have introduced a range of new powers and opportunities for local planning authorities to promote healthy and safe communities, including allotment provision and access to healthier food.Our Green Infrastructure Framework clearly sets out that opportunities to provide new allotments and community orchards should be considered at the earliest stages of a development proposal. Furthermore, our Community Right to Bid policy, gave communities the right to nominate a local allotment site to be listed as an asset of community value.

Freehold: Accountability

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure freeholders are held to account for essential services provided to leaseholders.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will ensure that leaseholders receive minimum key financial and non-financial information on a regular basis including through a standardised service charge demand form and an annual report. This will help them scrutinise and more effectively challenge their landlord if they consider their fees are unreasonable.By law service charges must be reasonable and the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill also improves redress for leaseholders who do not receive acceptable services.

High Rise Flats: Electrical Safety

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers fromBaroness Scott of Bybrook on 26 June (HL8412, HL8413 and HL8414), when they expect the Building Safety Regulator will undertake the cost benefit analysis of making regular inspections and testing of electrical installations in relevant buildings.

Baroness Penn: Under Section 21 of the Building Safety Act, the Building Safety Regulator must carry out a cost-benefit analysis of making regular inspections of, and testing and reporting on, the condition of electrical installations in relevant buildings.  This report will be provided by 1 October 2026.  The Regulator remains on track for completing this activity within the agreed timeframe.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recruitment and retention figures for the armed forces in year 2022–23; and what steps they are taking to reverse any negative trends.

The Earl of Minto: In 2022-23, Armed Forces recruitment was lower than we would have hoped given a difficult recruiting environment, and outflow was higher than planned. Nevertheless, the Armed Forces continue to meet all their operational commitments. To address recruitment, a range of tangible short-term deliverables are being actioned to increasing the inflow into Armed Forces recruitment pipelines, all intended to increase the breadth of potential candidates and to drive efficiencies into recruitment systems. These ongoing and new initiatives are focused upon engaging the broad range of skills, experience and diversity needed to deliver that which our nation demands of our Armed Forces; and in the range of roles that are critical to enable this. On retention, in June 2023 we committed to implementing the recommendations of the Haythornthwaite Review, a generational independent review of how we retain our current people and attract new ones. Its recommendations relate to policies and processes across a complex system of incentivisation and support. A formal Government Response, which will provide more detail on our approach to tackling each recommendation, will be published in early 2024. This will confirm which recommendations have been - or are in the process of being – delivered. Other initiatives aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of our people include; Flexible Service, which introduces the potential for people to alter their career commitment for set periods of time, allowing more people to remain in the Armed Forces who may otherwise have decided to leave in order to meet competing demands and responsibilities; Wraparound Childcare, which Defence established in recognition of the importance of a robust childcare support system to enable the mobility, recruitment and retention of a Armed Forces personnel; acceptance of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s and Senior Salaries Review Body’s recommendations in full, ensuring that the overall remuneration package for Service personnel (which includes a good pension, subsidised accommodation, and a range of allowances on top of basic salary) remains competitive.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Lord De Mauley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many fast jet pilots chose to apply for premature voluntary release in each of the past 10 years.

The Earl of Minto: The below table shows the number of Voluntary Outflow applications submitted by fast-jet Pilots in the Regular Royal Navy and Regular Royal Air Force in the last ten financial years: Financial Year (FY)Royal NavyRoyal Air ForceFY2013-14~20FY2014-15-20FY2015-16-20FY2016-17-10FY2017-18-20FY2018-19-20FY2019-20~20FY2020-21~10FY2021-22~10FY2022-23-20   Notes: For the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, Voluntary Outflow (VO) is defined as all exits from Trained personnel which are voluntarily generated by the individual before the end of their agreed engagement or commission period.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards, 5 or fewer is represented by '~', 0 is represented by '-'.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Lord De Mauley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many fully trained fast jet pilots the RAF had in each of the last 10 years.

The Earl of Minto: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Employment: Artificial Intelligence

Baroness Moyo: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of jobs that will be replaced by artificial intelligence between 2024 and 2030.

Viscount Camrose: AI has the potential to be a net creator of jobs and have a positive impact on economic growth: there are currently over 200,000 vacancies in the UK demanding AI skills and the jobs created by the AI economy are 7% more productive than the average UK job (CBI, 2023). Rather than replacing jobs, AI is currently changing them, and the skills needed to carry them out. It has the potential to free workers from monotonous tasks like inputting data or filling out paperwork, allowing them to spend more time on creative and meaningful activities. Around 2.5% of overall tasks on average could be performed by generative AI, with 40% of jobs seeing some impact from the technology (KMPG, Generative AI and the UK labour market, 2023). While some tasks within jobs might be augmented by AI, humans are necessary to apply judgement, empathy and creativity to AI tools. We continue to monitor and research the impacts of AI on the labour market.

Artificial Intelligence

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their plans to publish a series of teststhat need to be met to pass new laws on artificial intelligence,what steps they are taking to decide the criteria for the tests; and how they plan to conduct those tests.

Viscount Camrose: As set out through the AI Regulation White Paper, we are establishing a flexible, principles-based approach to governing AI. We are willing to legislate if required, however we need to understand the issues first and take a proportionate, evidence-based approach. That’s why we established the AI Safety Institute, which will offer vital insights into the advanced capabilities of frontier AI and foundation models by conducting safety testing and carrying out AI safety research. We will provide further details on our approach very shortly through the White Paper response.

Department for Work and Pensions

Self-employed: Health and Safety

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessmentthey have made of the application of health and safety legislation to those who work freelance and as contractors.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Under health and safety law, employers have a responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their health and safety, including those who work freelance or as contractors.

Film and Television: Health and Safety

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to the film and television industry regarding the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Work in the film and television industry is covered under the general requirements of the Health and Safety etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations. However, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also provides extensive guidance on common or higher risk activities encountered across multiple industries which may be applicable to activities within film and television production, e.g. working at height or managing asbestos (when filming on location). HSE also provides a range of guidance which is specific to film and television industry that describes the various roles and responsibilities of those within the production process (INDG360: Health and safety in audio-visual production. Your legal duties) and information sheets for specific production activities and risks, e.g. stunts, use of firearms and filming while using vehicles. All guidance and information are freely available on the HSE website, a section of which is dedicated to health and safety in the film, theatre and broadcasting industries. Alongside this, industry specific guidance is also available from a range of industry bodies and stakeholders.

Film and Television: Health and Safety

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements are in place to ensure health and safety risk assessments are maintained in the film and television industry.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide an effective framework for securing the health, safety, and welfare of those working in the film and television industry. Employers and the self-employed working in the film and television industry are required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to workers, themselves, and others from their work activities for the purpose of identifying and implementing measures to manage those risks. If there is reason to suspect an assessment is no longer effective or if there has been significant change in the matters being assessed, then an assessment must be reviewed and amended. Where an employer employs five or more employees they must record the significant findings of an assessment, and any group of employees identified by it as being especially at risk.

Northern Ireland Office

Bombings: Omagh

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Ireland regarding the possibility of that government establishing a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing of 1998.

Lord Caine: In October 2021, the Northern Ireland High Court found that an Article 2 compliant investigation into the Omagh bombing had not taken place, citing four grounds which the Court held could give rise to plausible arguments that there was a real prospect of preventing the Omagh Bomb. The Gallagher judgement also expressed a desire that a simultaneous Article 2 compliant investigation occur in Ireland, though it recognised that it was not within the Court’s power to order a cross-border investigation. In response to the findings of the Court, the Secretary of State announced in February 2023 that the Government would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the Omagh bombing. In June 2023, the Secretary of State appointed Lord Alan Turnbull as Chairman of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry. The Government continues working at pace to finalise the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference as soon as possible. While this is, of course, a matter for the Irish Government, the UK Government is keen to understand what consideration it has given, since the Gallagher judgement, to the setting up of an investigation in Ireland to discharge its obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This issue was directly raised most recently by me at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 28 November 2023. This is one of several legitimate questions regarding the Irish Government’s record of dealing with legacy matters in its own jurisdiction.

Northern Ireland Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government how many written meeting requests relating to his ministerial responsibilities the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland received in 2023; how many were granted; and how many are yet to receive a reply.

Lord Caine: All meetings that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland undertakes as part of his ministerial responsibilities can be found in transparency reports. Links for January to March 2023, April to June 2023, and July to September 2023 are available. The transparency report for October to December 2023 is due to be published in due course. The exact number of meeting requests granted and yet to receive a reply are not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Northern Ireland Office processes all ministerial meeting requests in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance.